1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a filter press with a plurality of filter plates shiftably suspended from two parallel I beam carriers in which the filter plates each have supporting arms on both sides of their vertical center. These supporting arms are bent inwardly and counter to the shifting direction of the filter plate. The supporting arms of the filter plates are each provided with rollers or equivalent sliding members which run on the guide surface on the I beam carrier flanges.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the case of the known filter presses furnished with a filter plate conveyor means, the filter plates are each suspended shiftably and movably on both sides of their vertical center by means of a supporting arm which extends from the filter plate to the parallel guide carriers of I beam shape. In the case of the larger filter presses using the I beam carriers, as described herein, the filter plates, after one filtering process, are pulled off one by one and successively by means of a special conveyor to separate each filter plate from the remaining filter pack for the purpose of ejecting the filter cake. Because of the size of the plate and cake it is often necessary that strong forces be applied to the filter plate in order to overcome the adhesion of the filter cake. Whenever the filter plates are suspended with vertical supporting arms from the guide carriers, then a strong and long lasting swinging of the plates occurs. In order to limit this objectionable swinging characteristic or tendency, it has been suggested and is known that it is necessary to bend the two supporting arms in opposite directions, with respect to the plate, so that the points of suspension lie before and behind the plane of the plate in relation to the I beam carrier. It is true that by this arrangement the swinging capacity of the filter plates is clearly reduced, but in the case of a fast filtering process or a jerky stop of the filter plates, or in the case of a stubbornly adhering filter cake, a violent swinging still occurs as a result of which the permissable operating speed and the rhythmic cycle of the filtering operations is seriously limited in the automatic opening of the filter presses of large size. This is a considerable disadvantage, particularly when the filter plate, just pulled off, is to be cleaned with an automatically operated spraying device which is guided up and down along the main surfaces of the filter plate and enclosing the filter plate cyclically since the spraying device in order to avoid damage to the filter cloths may, must be returned to its operating position only after the swinging of the filter plate has stopped. Further it must be ascertained that the filter plates are not likely to swing again due to displacement caused by the pressure of the sprayed water.